Bringing you the high-speed motorcycle racing news & action from today with the race photos from yesterday & today.
Having followed AMA Flat Track, AMA Road Racing, WERA & various other series since the early to mid '70s, the adrenaline-fed rush still lives on.
Thanks for making Stu's Shots your one-stop shop for racing news, info & links to the action on & off the track!
ALL shots COPYRIGHT Mike 'Stu' Stuhler (unless otherwise noted.)

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

One of the most popular venues on the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstores.com Series season is the annual trek to the Peoria TT in late August. For fans, riders, teams and sponsors alike, the late summer stop at the oldest continual date on the series' schedule brings out the best (and worst) of conditions for the series' competitors fighting to make that solid year-end run in the championship standings.

The 2011 version was no different in the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship, with points leader (and eventual champ) Mikey Martin ready to fight it out with championship rivals Mikey Avila, Gerit Callies and a handful of young riders looking to make their mark in the series before (hopefully) moving up to the Expert ranks.

As heat one gets the green flag and roars through turn one at the legendary facility, it is never more present in the look of the shot above at what is and could be at stake for these young riders in the feeder series for the AMA Grand National Championship. In it's third year of existence, the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Championship again showed that the competition is never far behind, breathing down your back and ready to pounce like a tiger in heat.

Leading this pack of Pro Singles riders at the front of the field is Stephen Vankerkuur on the #10J Mack Daddy Racing/TCR/Boughner Racing/DFW Honda-sponsored Honda CRF450R, battling with Rodney Spencer, Jr. on the #74Z Hooper Motorsports/Rod Lake/TC Plumbing/Shift-backed Honda to see who makes it to the jump first on the backside of the Peoria outdoor arena. Dustin Cassidy on the #41P Cassidy Racing/Illinois Harley/Kenny Barth/Hot Rods-sponsored Honda tries to keep them honest closely behind.

As announced today from AMA Pro Flat Track, Motorcycle-Superstore.com will return as the title sponsor for the Pro Singles Championship and the presenting sponsor for the overall series for the third year in a row, and will be bringing along another $25K in year-end championship payout money to the competitors in the Pro Singles Series for the 2012 season. Along with their sponsorship of AMA Pro Road Racing's SuperSport Series, Motorcycle-Superstore.com is proving again to be a great sponsor for both series, and it is great to see them return again for another run.

A big thanks goes out to Motorcycle-Superstore.com for jumping back onboard with AMA Pro Flat Track for the title sponsorship for the Pro Singles Championship and for their presenting sponsorship for the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Series. It's companies like these that keep the action going strong in The Rolling Thunder Show and provides some incentive to the riders to provide the fans with the best racing on wheels in the world.

You can read the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 31, 2012) - As a follow up to last week's announcement by AMA Pro Racing regarding an extension of Motorcycle-Superstore.com's title sponsorship of the AMA Pro Road Racing SuperSport division, officials announced today that Motorcycle-Superstore.com has also renewed their partnership with AMA Pro Flat Track. The new contract names Motorcycle-Superstore.com as the Official Motorcycle Online Retail Store of AMA Pro Flat Track and presenting sponsor of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship and title sponsor of the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles division.

The 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season will mark the third consecutive year of Motorcycle-Superstore.com sponsorship and with the company's renewed support, AMA Pro Racing will once again distribute more than $25,000 to riders in the form of a year-end points fund.

"We are very proud of the close partnership that has grown between AMA Pro Racing and Motorcycle-Superstore.com since they first began their involvement with AMA Pro Flat Track in 2010," said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. "The support and dedication that the company has shown to the rising stars in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles division through the year-end points fund is vital to the growth of the sport and is deeply appreciated by the entire paddock."

As part of the agreement, Motorcycle-Superstore.com will have an expanded online presence in AMA Pro Racing's website content and social media initiatives. Several lucky fans have already received Motorcycle-Superstore.com gift cards for winning sweepstakes held on AMA Pro Flat Track's official Facebook page, and the two companies will be working together throughout the year to find new and creative ways to give back to fans.

"Flat Track is hands down, the best racing on the planet," explains Tim Clark, Director of Sports Marketing for Motorcycle-Superstore.com. "The 2011 season produced some historic moments, including Shayna Texter becoming the first female rider to win an AMA Pro Grand National Flat Track race. Championships came down to the wire with titles determined at the last round of the series. For true Flat Track fans, it was a great year and we're excited about another action-packed season in 2012."

Following a thrilling 2011 season that came down to the final race of the year, Mikey Martin took home the top spot in the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles standings and the $10,000 that came along with it. For the 2012 season, the $25,000 payout for the Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles Year-End Points Fund will be the same, guaranteeing that riders will still be battling it out when the series rolls into Pomona to close out the year.

The pay structure for the award follows:

1st place, $10,000;

2nd place, $5,000;

3rd place, $4,000;

4th place, $3,000;

5th place, $2,000;

6th place, $1,000

The 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season will kick off as part of the historic Daytona 200 Week. The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Expert Singles and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles divisions take to the track in a set of one-day events on March 15 and 16, 2012 at the DAYTONA Flat Track, located just outside of the Daytona International Speedway's east banking. For tickets, please visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

About Motorcycle-Superstore.com:

Motorcycle-Superstore.com is the #1 online retailer of motorcycle and powersports gear, accessories, parts and apparel in the United States. With well over a decade of experience serving the needs of riders of every style, Motorcycle-Superstore.com is constantly improving the shopping experience by providing the largest selection of motorcycle and powersports equipment from the most trusted brands in the industry, at the guaranteed lowest prices. Whether you ride street, dirt, dual-sport, ATVs, scooters, watercraft or snowmobiles, when you think gear, think Motorcycle-Superstore.com

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

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The King

The 4-1-1

Fan of all racing, but the bikes are what makes the adrenaline flow and the rush set in.
In what started as an attempt to share and scrapbook my racing catalog, I have since streamlined my coverage to give a more updated and behind the scenes look at motorcycle racing from the eye of my camera and from my perspective as a long-time fan.
So stay tuned for coverage of AMA Pro Flat Track and Road Racing, along with some of the other series that showcase the great sport of 2-wheeled high speed racing!
You can e-mail me @: stuman714@yahoo.com